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A new drowning-prevention program, which teaches young children to turn on their back and scream if they fall into water, is gaining popularity with Canadian parents.

A controversial drowning-prevention program for infants is gaining popularity with Canadian parents.

The course, which originated in the U.S., teaches children as young as six months to turn on their back and scream if they fall into water. According to an article in the Globe and Mail, more than 189,000 children around the world, ranging in age from six months to six years old, have already completed the program. There are 800 documented cases of children saving themselves from drowning using the technique.

The course is now being offered in several Canadian cities, but some life-saving and pediatric experts say the lessons give parents a false sense of security. Barbara Byers, public education director with the Lifesaving Society of Ontario, says while parents should feel safe putting their babies or toddlers in recreational swimming programs, they should not mistake those programs for life-saving instruction. Instead, they should simply view it as a fun way to familiarize their child with water.

Defenders of the program say instructors hold the babies while they are in the water and follow strict procedures to ensure child safety. The course is conducted in 10-minute sessions, five days a week, for four to six weeks. The sessions concentrate on a series of repetitive movements, which are designed to teach infants to turn onto their back and float in the water.